What should I make for dinner? 'A second life for stale savory cornbread' edition.

A few days ago my beloved baked a pan of savory cornbread (garlic and italian seasoning instead of sugar). I prefer mine slathered in maple syrup and he prefers his not left-over, so most of it has been languishing on the counter getting stale for a couple days.

This morning I was struck with an impulse to save it; first I was thinking I might make some type of stuffing, but then I noticed a can of green chiles and inspiration almost struck.

How can I give this cornbread a new life with some TexMex or Latin American flavor? I have green chilies, jalapenos, banana peppers, red and green salsas, plenty of hot sauce, a variety of rice, beans and veggies, plus some assorted dairy products. Vegetarian ideas preferred. :)

Seems like you could crumble it, then layer it with green chilies and shredded jack and cheddar cheese. Lots of cheese-you have to hide the italian.
Pour some milk/egg/flour mixture over it. Bake it for about 45 minutes, then top it with tomato sauce and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve with rice and beans.

This is a variation on my chile con queso casserole, which is fabulous. I think adding cornbread would be awesome.posted by SLC Mom at 7:48 AM on May 4, 2011

Well, I just saw a southwest cornbread eggs benedict on a menu that looked lovely. Make a chipotle hollandaise sauce, top with a couple poached eggs or over easies, reheat the stale cornbread with some water to resoften it, and I think you should be ready to go. Obviously, I think that fresh cornbread is ideal, but I don't think stale cornbread could be any tougher than a frigging english muffin.posted by jph at 8:18 AM on May 4, 2011

Cube, croutonize, combine with awesome fresh tomatoes (if you can get any good early ones where you are). You now have Smitten Kitchen's corn bread salad.posted by deludingmyself at 8:34 AM on May 4, 2011

Also how about a savory corn bread pudding? Cream, butter, a little egg, some of those chilies you have, soak and bake in a water bath so that it sets.posted by jph at 8:37 AM on May 4, 2011

Use green chilies and jalapenos (fried) to mix with it and make a stuffing for the banana peppers.

Second option -- tex mex strata. Cube it, let it get even dryer and staler, chop up the peppers, mix together with some beaten eggs and as much cheese as you can handle. Let it sit until sodden (even overnight0, then bake at 375 for about 40 - 50 minutes, depending on the volume. Serve with salad and beer.posted by A Terrible Llama at 9:01 AM on May 4, 2011

Upside down tamale pie! Follow a recipe like this*, but instead of a cornmeal-cheese bottom, put the beans and chilies on the bottom of your pan and crumbled corn bread mixed with cheese on top.

*This is just the first recipe I found when I googled "vegetarian tamale pie" - I'm sure there are other good ones out there.posted by zinfandel at 9:41 AM on May 4, 2011

I routinely make cornbread for the express purpose of breaking it into chunks in a bowl and spooning chili over it for a quick meal.

Cornbread stuffing/dressing would work well with the Italian flavors already in there. Saute diced onions and celery with dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, etc in plenty of butter until soft. Add some good chicken broth and simmer for five minutes or so. Combine liquid with crumbled cornbread in a buttered baking dish (proportions obviously depend on how much cornbread you have; you want it to be wet but not soupy) and bake in a 350 oven for half an hour or so, maybe longer depending on volume/shape of baking dish.posted by yarrow at 9:50 AM on May 4, 2011

I like to dip stale cornbread in chili. The chili softens the cornbread up and the cornbread acts like a spoon made out of bread.posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 10:13 AM on May 4, 2011

nthing adding crumbled stale cornbread to chili. How much of it do you have? I keep forgetting to try to make some kind of 'southwest lasagna' by layering old cornbread, chili, salsa/veggies and cheese and baking it.posted by bartleby at 5:37 PM on May 4, 2011

Thanks all for your wonderful suggestions! So many tasty-sounding ideas. I ended up making the cornbread salad suggested by deludingmyself (stronger on the greens than the tomatoes, cuz that's what's in season here, but still turned out deliciously). And I'm looking forward to trying out more of these ideas next time I have this stale cornbread dilemma.posted by crackingdes at 7:01 AM on May 5, 2011

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